A Friend in Need
by AliasCWN
Summary: Hitch and Tully make a friend but they need to convince Troy to help him.
1. Chapter 1

**A Friend in Need **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

Hitch finished the sandwich and threw the scraps to the stray black mongrel that had been hanging around for the past six days.

"You're gonna spoil that dog." Tully growled as he slid out from under the jeep he had been working on for the past hour.

"I like him and he looks like he could use some spoiling." Hitch smiled as he reached down to pet the skinny dog.

"I do too." Tully admitted as he reached for the sandwich Hitch had brought for him. "But you do realize that once we're done here we're going to have to leave him behind? He's getting used to being fed and nobody here is going to worry about him once we're gone. They have enough trouble feeding themselves. He's going to have to go back to fending for himself."

"I know." Hitch admitted with a frown. "But at least we can fatten him up a little bit before we leave." Hitch brightened as a new thought occurred to him. "Maybe Sarge will let us take him back as sort of a camp mascot."

"Fat chance." Tully growled around a mouth full of sandwich.

"We can ask." Hitch pleaded. "He's a nice dog. He likes us too, I can tell."

"Of course he does." Tully answered after swallowing the bite in his mouth. "We feed him; he'd like anyone who fed him." Tully held up the remaining half of his sandwich as he said it. Hitch nodded and looked away. Tully waited until Hitch was distracted before tossing the rest of his sandwich to the waiting dog.

Hitch heard the gulp as the dog caught the food and he turned back with a smile. "Don't spoil him huh?"

Tully grinned sheepishly with a shrug. "I was full and there was no sense throwing it away if the dog would eat it."

"That's what I thought." Hitch smiled. "But seriously," he added in a more solemn tone, "maybe we can find someone on the base who will take him. Didn't Omar say his kids wanted a dog?"

"But Omar didn't say he wanted a dog for them." Tully pointed out the difference. "A lot of the guys on the base would like to have him but they can't take care of a pet any more than we can at the moment. You hear guys taking about the dogs they grew up with just about every time we see a stray running lose on the base. That doesn't mean that they have the means to take care of him. We'd be taking him away from the home he knows just to drop him off to fend for himself somewhere else."

"At least at the base he'd have plenty of soldiers to feed him scraps."

"Soldiers who could move on at any time."

"So we have to find him a home with a nice Arab family."

Tully looked at Hitch and smiled. "You can ask, but don't be surprised if Sarge says no."

"It can't hurt to ask."

"Just don't get your hopes up." Tully warned.

Hitch watched the dog swallow the last of the sandwich and search the ground for any crumbs that might have dropped. "I think he's put on weight just since we've been here."

"He's been getting three meals a day for almost a week now. I guess being so skinny every ounce he gains shows."

"We could find him a good home if we had more time." Hitch insisted. "Someone at the base would like to have a good dog."

"Talk to Sarge if you want." Tully agreed. "Maybe he has some idea who would want him. Better yet, ask Doc, he knows the Arabs."

Hitch nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll do that."

"We'd better get this jeep finished before Sarge and Doc get back if you want Sarge to be in a good mood when you bring it up." Tully suggested.

Hitch reached for a wrench to help Tully finish the repairs. "I still don't know how I managed to do all of this damage just driving across the desert. We weren't even in a hurry."

Tully shrugged. "You hit a soft patch and the jeep sunk into the sand. Unfortunately for you the sand had some jagged rocks underneath. A few rocks can do a lot of harm even at slow speeds."

"I'm lucky we had the parts to fix it." Hitch agreed. "Sarge would have been even more upset if we had been reduced to one jeep for the duration of the assignment."

"You're lucky we didn't have any Germans chasing us when it happened."

"We've been running these patrols for four days now and haven't even seen any tracks so far." Hitch answered. "Maybe headquarters was wrong about the krauts being interested in this area."

Tully shrugged and took the part Hitch handed him. It was the last piece that needed to be replaced and he wanted to get finished. Sliding under the jeep his voice was muffled as he answered. "Maybe, but Sarge isn't convinced of that just yet. He thinks we missed them somehow. That's why he and Doc are going further out this time; he wants to check the next sector over."

"That's okay." Hitch answered. He looked around the village where they had been staying between patrols. "It could be worse; the people here are nice enough. We get to sleep inside every night and they've been giving us bread and fruit to supplement out rations."

"Doc says we're probably going to be heading back soon."

"Then I guess I should ask Sarge about the dog pretty soon."

"You'd better worry about the jeep first." Tully suggested. "The dog isn't going anywhere."

Hitch chuckled. "Neither is this jeep if we don't get it fixed. You're right; we need to finish it before Sarge gets back. We got this Tully."

"Not yet we don't." Tully contradicted.

"Problem?"

"Hand me a hammer will you? I need more leverage to get this right."

"Don't force it, just get a bigger hammer." Hitch quoted.

Tully grunted. "Who said that?"

"I don't know." Hitch answered as he passed the hammer. "A mechanic I used to know quoted it all the time though."

"Couldn't have been much of a mechanic if he used a hammer to fix everything." Tully joked.

"Not everything," Hitch corrected, "but it was his favorite tool. Last I heard he got transferred to a tank unit. I guess headquarters figured that he couldn't hurt a tank with a hammer." Hitch smiled as Tully pulled his head out from under the jeep to stare at him in surprise. Hitch shrugged and smiled. "It's the truth."

Tully shook him head in wonder and went back to work. "Hand me that wrench again."

Hitch knelt down and handed the wrench to Tully. Taking the hammer he put it back in the toolbox until it was needed again.

"Okay, you can put the belt back on now." Tully grunted from underneath the jeep. He gathered his tools and slid from beneath the vehicle as Hitch replaced the belt they had had to remove to work on other parts.

"That should do it." Hitch announced a few minutes later. "All I need to do is re-connect the battery."

Tully nodded and looked around. "Where did the dog go?"

Hitch shrugged. "Maybe he went to sleep off his latest meal."

"Maybe." Tully agreed as he put the last of his tools away and set the toolbox on the ground next to the jeep.

"Tully." Hitch sounded tense.

"Yeah?" Tully turned around to see Hitch looking toward the other end of the village. When he looked that way he immediately spotted the problem. Germans soldiers were spreading out to block off the streets. "Let's go."

They grabbed the machine guns from the fender of the jeep and ducked behind the fender for cover. More soldiers appeared behind them and bullets began to hit the ground around them. Not waiting for the Germans to get the range, the two of them took off at a run. The nearest shelter was the stone hut they had been using as a barracks during their stay in the village. It had one door in the front and windows on the other side. They figured they could go in the front and run out the back before the Germans could trap them. Once out the other side they would have to find better shelter.

Hitch stumbled and Tully slowed to reach a hand out to help him.

"Keep going. I'm all right." Hitch yelled as he caught his balance and ran on. A few more minutes and they would have had the battery reconnected and they could have fled in the jeep, but it wasn't to be. Without the jeep they could only find shelter and hope to hold out until the sergeants returned. Hitch did some quick calculations and figured that the other jeep wouldn't be back for several hours yet. While Troy's hunches were usually right, Hitch found himself wishing that the sergeant had been wrong this time. Unfortunately for them, it appeared his hunch had been correct again. Hitch groaned and followed Tully toward the stone hut.

The Germans at the other end of the village had noticed them when the bullets started flying and were racing to intercept them. Tully glanced back to make sure that Hitch was still behind him and ducked through the door. He slid to a stop as Hitch crowded his back. They both froze at the sight of the five Germans soldiers waiting inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Friend in Need **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"Are you ready to admit that headquarters may have given us bad information?" Moffitt asked with a tolerant smile as Troy scanned the desert ahead of them again.

"My gut says they're right." Troy answered without lowering the field glasses. The desert all around them remained empty and quiet. "I can't explain it, but I have this feeling that they're out here."

"We haven't found any evidence to support that theory."

"Aren't you the one always saying that this is a big desert?"

"Big yes, but we're only searching a small part of it, and we haven't seen any evidence of German activity at all."

"It's been windy all week; the wind could have erased the tracks before we could find them."

"It's possible," the Brit admitted, "but we're pretty good at what we do and we haven't found anything to support that supposition. Do you really think that we've just been missing them all week?"

"Maybe they haven't been moving around much." Troy guessed. "They could be out here sitting in one place until the weather clears."

"That is entirely possible too."

Troy frowned.

"What is it Troy?"

"What are the chances that they missed all of the tracks we've been leaving?"

"Are we playing the odds now?"

"I hope not." Troy growled. "The odds are almost always against us."

"Then what are we doing?"

"Doing what we do best." Troy answered. "Doing our jobs and making our own luck."

Moffitt glanced at the sky before answering Troy. "I think we should head back and see if Hitch and Tully have that jeep fixed yet. I don't think it is wise to test our luck against Mother Nature."

Troy looked at the sky before looking back at Moffitt. "Is there something I should know?"

"Notice the yellow hue to the sky over the mountains?"

Troy looked at the distant mountains and nodded. "It does look a bit yellow, kind of sickish."

"More than a bit and it's getting more pronounced. I didn't mention it earlier because I thought we were going to head back right away. There's a storm brewing and if it heads this way we are going to have to seek cover. I would prefer to be back at the village before it hits."

"Okay." Troy nodded thoughtfully. "The Germans won't be moving around in the storm either. They'll probably seek cover too. We can take up the search again tomorrow; maybe we'll have two jeeps to work with by then." He searched the desert one more time before lowering the glasses. Biting his lip he put the glasses on the seat next to him. "We'll start early tomorrow; I can't shake the feeling that we're close."

Moffitt nodded and headed for the driver's seat. He had been watching as the storm built and was convinced that it was heading their way. The small stone hut they had been using between patrols would make a suitable place to weather the storm. They could cover the jeeps and park them close to the wall to protect them from the worst of the blowing sand. The sand would get into everything but it was better than cowering between the covered jeeps in the open desert.

"I can't shake the feeling that they're out here." Troy repeated as he slid into his seat.

"If they are the storm will force them to see shelter too." Moffitt assured the other sergeant. "And if they're out here I think you are just the one to find them. We can look again tomorrow."

Troy was silent as the jeep skimmed the desert hills. Moffitt, while not as skilled a driver as the privates, managed to avoid the pitfalls of the shifting sands and keep the jeep moving unerringly toward the small village. While Troy watched the desert Moffitt kept his attention on the fast moving storm. He checked his watch repeatedly to try to gauge how much time they had before it caught up to them. He was looking back at the mountains when Troy spoke.

"What are those?"

When he turned Troy was pointing to several small specks in the sky. Moffitt reached for the binoculars but he was pretty sure that he already knew what they were. "Buzzards." He announced after removing all doubt.

Troy glanced at the compass in his hand and frowned. "The village is in that direction."

"Perhaps some predators killed some of the goats that Ibrim keeps outside of the village."

Troy looked over at Moffitt and shook his head. "Maybe it's just a coincidence that it's so close to where we left Hitch and Tully, but I don't like coincidences."

"I don't want to infer anything to that effect, but in this case I have to support your suspicions. Ibrim guards his goats like a doting father. If anything had happened to them I doubt that he would leave them for the scavengers to pick clean."

Troy nodded. "Let's take a look."

Moffitt replaced the binoculars beneath the seat and slowed as Troy climbed over the seat to man the 50. He took a roundabout route to where the birds were dropping lower in the sky. The storm forgotten, he eyed the surrounding desert warily. When the birds began to drop to the ground behind a dune in front of them Moffitt stopped the vehicle. "We need to be careful." He warned the other sergeant. "If anyone is watching we could alert them to our presence if we startled the buzzards."

"They don't land until they think their future meal is dead do they?" Troy asked quietly.

"Not usually." Moffitt confirmed. "If their target stays still long enough they may be fooled and get brave, but they will take off again at the slightest movement. They may fight among themselves but they are scavengers, not predators."

"They're coming down."

"I noticed." Moffitt answered.

"We have to get closer."

"I agree." The British sergeant nodded. "But we need to be cautious. If we move slowly enough we can get near enough to see what attracted them without scaring them into a panic."

"What about the storm? Do we have time to go slow?"

The Brit glanced at the sky. "I think we have to take that chance. The storm isn't moving as quickly as I feared. If your suspicions are correct the Germans could be nearby. We don't want to stumble into them or fall victim to an ambush. We won't be able to help Tully and Hitch if we're dead or captured."

"What if that is Hitch or Tully?"

"Then they are beyond our help." Moffitt looked back at the descending buzzards. "The village is still several miles in that direction. This may have nothing to do with the village at all."

Troy looked over to study the other sergeant's face. "I hope you're right."

The Brit shrugged. "We can't be certain until we check it out. I suggest that we do so slowly, but not too slowly." He glanced at the distant mountains to explain his reasoning.

"All right, let's take a look. Get us a close as you can in the jeep and we'll walk the rest of the way."

Moffitt nodded his agreement. He eased the jeep forward until the first of the buzzards started to notice them. As the gangly birds still in the air began to rise he stopped the vehicle and waited for them to calm down again. Both sergeants stayed completely still as the birds remained agitated. Only after they began to drop to the ground again did the sergeants ease themselves out of the jeep and walk slowly toward the top of the dune.

Near the top both sergeants dropped to their stomachs to avoid outlining themselves on the skyline. Crawling the last few yards they peered down into the valley below.

"Humans." Troy spat.

"Yes, but not soldiers." Moffitt sighed in relief. Only now that they knew it wasn't Hitch and Tully did Moffitt allow himself to accept the possibility that it might have been their friends. "Arabs." He scanned the desert around the two bodies lying in the sand. "I don't know the name of the first one but the second one is Ibrim. It looks like they have been shot. I've seen the other one around the village though."

"So the question is…who shot them?" Troy responded.

"They didn't try to hide the bodies. They didn't care if they were found."

"That doesn't answer the question." Troy growled.

"Whoever did this probably knows about the village."

"Maybe someone from the village?"

Moffitt shrugged. "Unless we go down there we won't know much more than we do right now." Moffitt looked around again. "We seem to be alone with the victims and the buzzards. If you want to investigate any further I suggest we get it done before the storm catches up with us."

Troy weighed his options as he watched the birds. "If this isn't connected then it's one heck of a coincidence. I told you, I don't like coincidences."

"Then we're going down?"

Troy nodded shortly. "Yeah, we're going down, but we're taking the jeep. If this is a trap I don't want to be too far away from our wheels."

"I concur, it's best to have it close in case we need it in a hurry."


	3. Chapter 3

**A Friend in Need **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

"You were right." Moffitt smiled as he said it but his smile was sad. "These men were killed by German guns."

Troy looked at the bullet holes in the bodies and frowned. "How can you tell? One bullet hole looks like another to me."

"That's true." Moffitt nodded. "But Arabs would have taken their weapons, the killers left them behind. And Arabs don't wear hard-soled boots. And they don't drive vehicles." The sergeant pointed at the indistinct tracks next to the bodies. "Tracks from soft soled footwear would have been erased by the wind by this time. These are blurred but you can still tell the approximate size of the foot. Hard sold boots make a more distinct impression and take longer to fill in with sand. These will be gone soon but for now you can still see the impression of the heel." He looked up as he explained to see if Troy could make out the distinction. Troy was nodding so he continued. "Most of the tracks have been erased already but if you look near the base of the dune you can still see the faint marks of vehicles where they were protected from the strongest force of the wind. It appears that they were either coming from or going toward the village."

"So the Germans know about the village?"

"I'd say that that is a safe assumption." Moffitt nodded.

"We didn't get a call on the radio so I am going to assume that Hitch and Tully didn't get out."

"They may not have had time to make a call. It is still possible that they hid before the Germans found them."

"I wouldn't count on the villagers to hide them." Troy replied. "They have their families to protect."

Moffitt nodded his agreement.

Troy sighed. "Alright, let's go see if we can find out what happened to them.

Moffitt didn't wait for Troy to suggest it, he immediately altered their course to approach the village from a different direction; the Germans might expect the buzzards to draw attention. Now that they knew for sure that there were Germans in the area they increased their precautions accordingly. Troy cleared the chamber on the 50 and pulled the dust cover. They were going around a hill when Troy was thrown forward as Moffitt suddenly hit the brakes.

A black dog cowered in front of the jeep watching them fearfully. Moffitt looked over at Troy and shrugged. The dog took off suddenly, darting back behind the dune where it had come from only moments before. Moffitt watched as it streaked away with its tail between its legs.

"Wasn't that the dog that's been hanging around the hut?" Troy asked.

"I believe it was." Moffitt answered. "Hitch and Tully have been feeding it all week. I don't claim to know every stray but it did look like the same dog."

"It looked scared."

"It is a stray." Moffitt shrugged. "Most of the villagers throw rocks at it to drive it away. They can't afford any more mouths to feed. I imagine it's afraid of most humans. Hitch and Tully are probably some of the few friendly faces it has ever seen."

"At least it didn't bark and give us away."

"We sleep in the same building as Tully and Hitch; it is probably familiar with our scents. We may not be friends but we aren't enemies either." Moffitt guessed. "It's a good thing too; a barking dog might have attracted attention. If the Germans are in the village they may have guards out here watching for anyone approaching."

"Maybe we should walk from here." Troy suggested.

"You don't want to stay close to the jeep?" Moffitt asked in surprise.

"Not this time." Troy answered. "We're going to have to be quiet if we want to keep the element of surprise. We're easier to hide than a jeep." They found a place to hide the jeep under netting and prepared to approach the village. Moffitt took one machine gun and handed the other one to Troy. He waited silently until the other sergeant led the way toward the village. When the first of the houses came into sight both sergeants stopped to scan the dunes around them for look-outs.

"There." Moffitt pointed to a soldier standing next to the trunk of a small tree.

"He's not the only one." Troy pointed out another German standing among some rocks at the top of a hill. Both sentries had their backs to the village watching out into the desert.

"They seem to be watching for something in particular." Moffitt noted.

"Us?"

"Who can say?" Moffitt shrugged. "If they knew about the village perhaps they knew we were using it as a base."

"Or they caught Hitch, or Tully, or both, and figured we were still out here."

"Hitch and Tully wouldn't have talked." The other sergeant argued.

"They wouldn't have to." Troy answered. "Once they caught them the Germans would ask the villagers about any others. Like I said, they have families to protect, they would talk."

"We're guests in their village, they wouldn't volunteer any information."

"What difference does it make why they talk?" Troy demanded.

"Because if they were forced to reveal information they would give only what was necessary." Moffitt explained.

Troy considered what Moffitt had said. "So you're saying that they might not know who they caught? They may not know who we are?"

"It's entirely possible." Moffitt admitted. "Although, they may have recognized the jeep, if they caught Hitch and Tully, that is."

"Yeah," Troy agreed, "then they'd know."

"And they could be waiting for us to return. They may even know where we have been going all week. They may know why we are here. That could explain why both guards are looking in the same direction."

"If we came in unaware we would be coming from that direction." Troy reasoned. "They know about us."

Moffitt raised his eyebrow and bit his lip without saying a word in response.

"Let's get a little closer and see if we can figure out what happened to Hitch and Tully."

Moffitt nodded and motioned for Troy to lead the way. Several minutes later they were lying on a dune looking down on the main part of the village.

"There's the jeep." Moffitt pointed toward the jeep that was parked right where it had been when they left in the morning. "The hood is still up. It doesn't seem as if the lads finished the repairs on it."

Troy nodded. "Then it's not very likely that they managed to escape from the village."

"I'm afraid not."

"Then where are they?"

Both sergeants scanned the village with their binoculars.

"Where are the Germans vehicles? I doubt that they would have sent them away completely." Troy growled.

"They could be hidden in a wadi nearby." Moffitt suggested. "Troy!"

"What?"

"Over there, behind the hut we were using."

Troy looked and spotted the guard leaning against the wall. It looked like he was trying to stay out of sight while still staying out of the wind. As they watched he walked around and looked into the open door of the hut before walking away.

"Do you think they're in there?"

"I don't know. It would explain the guard."

"How are we going to get in there?"

"The area is too open to approach in the daylight." Moffitt warned. "The guards would see us coming before we got anywhere near the hut."

Let's try another angle." Troy suggested. "Maybe we can see more from a different place."

Twenty minutes later they were looking directly into the open door of the hut. It was dark inside except for where the light filtered in from the windows. Between the windows they could just make out two darker, man size shapes that moved slightly from time to time.

"They left the door open so that we wouldn't suspect anything." Moffitt reasoned. "Hide the guards, leave the door open, and wait for us to go in and check on Hitch and Tully."

"Might have worked if we hadn't found the bodies." Troy agreed.

"The question is…now what?" As Moffitt asked the question a small black shape slipped around the wall of the hut and crept inside. The sergeants watched as he went directly to the two dark shapes. "At least they know they aren't alone." Moffitt sighed. "The dog hasn't turned on them."

"They know we'll come for them." Troy replied.

"Yes, I suppose they do." Moffitt agreed. "But it is still nice to see a friendly face."

"Yeah." Troy answered. "Come on, I have an idea."


	4. Chapter 4

**A Friend in Need **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

"What are we doing Troy?" Moffitt looked at the net covered jeep and frowned.

"We're going to heat some rations." Troy answered as he rummaged around in the jeep for the meals he wanted. "How long do you think it will be until the storm hits?"

Moffitt looked at the gathering clouds and shrugged. "An hour, maybe less. It's going to be a bad one Troy."

"Good cover for a break." Troy responded.

"We won't be able to see much of anything once it hits."

"The Germans won't be able to follow us."

"How are we going to do it? Jerry will lock everything down once it hits. They'll lock the hut and put guards inside with Hitch and Tully. If we try to break in and rescue them we're just as likely to get them killed."

"Hitch and Tully can meet us at the jeep." Troy explained. "Once they break free they'll know right where to go." He found the packets of rations he wanted and turned to face Moffitt.

"Meet us at the jeep?" The Brit asked in surprise. "Do you know something that I don't know? How do you know that they are going to get free?"

Troy smiled. "Because we're going to help them. Start a small fire and I'll explain it to you."

"Okay, talk." Moffitt ordered after starting the fire and watching Troy put the meals on to heat.

"It's like this." Troy began. "That dog shows up every day at mealtime." Troy glanced at his watch. "The Germans will be eating their evening meal anytime now. He was just there but he didn't get fed. We're going to draw him here with the smell of food. We'll keep him here until the storm hits then we'll turn him loose by the village so he can take shelter with Tully and Hitch. He'll probably smell the food from the German camp by then. Maybe he'll go to them for food. He's already shown that he can slip past the guard. Under the cover of the storm he shouldn't have any trouble doing it again."

"How will that help them escape?"

"We're going to strap a note and two knives to his body before we send him in. We'll let them know the plan. We'll be waiting when they come out. If we can't use the jeep we'll try to find the German vehicles and steal a car. The storm will cover most of our movements. We disappear into the storm and find a place to ride it out."

"What if the dog doesn't go to them?"

"They've been feeding it; it will go to them when it gets hungry. He'll expect them to feed him."

Moffitt nodded. "All right. I hope it works Troy. We'll lose the element of surprise if it doesn't."

Troy shrugged. "That's a chance I'm willing to take. We still have the storm to cover our rescue. If the dog gets caught we can follow it in and take out the guards while they are searching the dog."

"Searching the dog?"

"What, you don't think they'll search the dog if they find weapons strapped to it? They'll be distracted for a few minutes and that will be our chance to move in."

"It's risky."

"We don't have a lot of choice here Moffitt. If the Germans take them back to their base we may not get another chance. That or they'll shoot them like they did Ibrim and that other Arab."

"All right, I'll go along with this, but I still have one more question."

"Yeah?"

"How are we going to catch the dog?"

"We'll wait for it to smell the food and come into camp, and then we'll throw a net over it." Troy explained.

"Just like that?"

"How hard can it be?" Troy asked. He went to the fire and stirred the meat that he was heating. "Won't be long now."

"If it comes."

"It'll come." Troy answered confidently. "Let's get the net ready."

The dog approached the small fire cautiously. He was familiar with the scent of the two sergeants but they hadn't been feeding him so he was still nervous. The smell of the rations heating drew him to the fire but he avoided the side where the sergeant's stood.

"Get ready." Troy spoke softly. He took a plate and scooped some of the food out of the pan. Speaking quietly and moving slowly he placed the plate on the ground and backed away. As he stepped back Moffitt handed him one corner of the camouflage netting.

The dog eyed the men fearfully as they watched him. After a minute of smelling the food the dog took a chance. eedged closer to the plate and stretched his neck to get a better smell. He edged closer to th plate and HHH

He edged closer and stretched his neck to grab a piece of the meat. He jumped back, prepared to run at the first sign of a threat. When neither sergeant moved he became bolder. He moved closer to the plate.

"Wait until I give the word." Troy ordered quietly. He allowed the dog to take a few bites before giving Moffitt a tiny nod. As the dog reached for another bite the net sailed out over his body and settled to the ground. He jumped back and caught his feet in the part of the net that touched the ground. Troy threw his body over the frightened dog and held it down as it struggled. "Help me calm him down before someone hears him." Troy urged. The dog yelped again as Moffitt knelt next to it.

"Perhaps if you had tried talking to it instead of scaring it half to death." Moffitt suggested. "The net will hold it, allow it some movement. Talk to it."

Troy nodded tensely and loosened his hold on the dog. It immediately began to pull away, trying to free itself. Troy spoke softly to it, trying to gain its trust. Troy made soothing sounds and gently caressed the dogs heaving sides. Little by little it calmed. It stopped whining and lay still as Troy continued to pet it gently. Finally it stilled enough that Troy was able to slip a rope around its neck and free it from the netting.

"The storm is almost here." Moffitt warned.

"Okay, hold the dog. I'll write the note and strap the knives to its side. We'll take him as far as the jeep and turn him loose. That is close to Hitch and Tully, maybe he'll head straight for them."

Moffitt shook his head and reached for the ascot around his neck. Pulling it loose he handed it to Troy and took the dog. "Use this to tie the note and weapons in place. Tully will recognize it right away. Besides, it's dark enough to blend into the dog's coat in this storm."

The dog didn't like the bindings but it ceased to struggle when Troy turned it loose near the disabled jeep. Realizing where it was it turned and darted toward the stone hut where it had been fed before. The Germans had eaten their evening meal before the storm hit and a guard had brought food for the prisoners. The strong smell of sardines drifted out through the open door and carried to the jeep. That smell drew the dog to the open door and inside. The familiar smell of the two privates reassured him that it was safe.

As the dog slipped into the room Hitch spotted him. "Hey boy, what do you have there?" The familiar smell of the privates and the friendly tone of voice put the dog at ease and he hurried toward the plates sitting on the ground. He stopped just short of the two men. "Are you hungry? Come on boy." Hitch coaxed. Hitch took some of the sardines off of his plate and tossed them to the dog. "Come on boy. Just a little bit closer. What is that wrapped around him?" Hitch asked as the dog inched closer.

"That's Moffitt's ascot." Tully answered with renewed hope. "They must be out there. They didn't fall for the trap."

"I'll try to get him closer. See if you can get it off of him." Hitch whispered.

"No need to whisper." Tully answered as he waited for the dog to come closer. "Nobody is going to hear us in this storm."

"That's probably what Sarge figured too." Hitch answered. Reaching with his one free hand Hitch took more food off of the plate and held it out for the dog. "I'm glad they freed one of our hands so that we could eat. This would have been tough with both hands chained to the wall."

"We haven't caught him yet." Tully warned. "He seems spooked."

"Maybe he doesn't like anything tied around him."

"He ought to try getting chained to a wall." Tully growled.

"Something tells me he wouldn't like that either." Hitch answered as the dog took another bite of food from his hand.

"Just stay quiet and don't spook him. If he runs off we may not get another chance."

"Thanks." Hitch moaned. "Just what I need, more pressure."

Tully chuckled and the dog tensed. "Easy boy, I won't hurt you." Tully inched his hand forward until he could slip his fingers under the knot on the ascot. Working it carefully he managed to work it loose. "Got it!" The dog jumped away in fright.

"What is it?" Hitch asked as he offered the dog another bite.

"It is Doc's ascot. There's a note, and two knives." Tully opened the note and read it quickly. "Sarge wants us to make a break for it and meet them at the jeep."

"The battery is still disconnected." Hitch reminded Tully.

"But we can hook it up in just a few minutes if we can escape quietly." Tully suggested. "The storm will cover a lot of noise. The krauts are probably already hiding from the storm. The guards won't be missed right away."

"The guards will come for these plates and cuff our other hand again." Hitch added. "That may be our only chance to get away."

"Agreed." Tully nodded. "So we go for it then?"

Hitch nodded. "The wind is picking up. It's going to be dark soon."

"The krauts probably thought of that too."

"Yeah." Hitch agreed. "But they didn't count on the dog bringing us weapons." He nodded as Tully smiled. "So we go when they try to chain our other hand?"

"If they give us the chance." Tully agreed.

"Until then I vote we give the dog the rest of our meals, he's earned it."

Tully pushed the plates toward the dog who happily licked them clean.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Friend in Need **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 5

"Here they come."

The two German guards stepped into the hut and one of them pulled the door shut behind them to keep out the blowing sand from the storm. The dog heard them first and took shelter in the other room away from the strangers. It cowered near the wall and laid its head on its paws as it listened to the strange humans grunt commands. They held their rifles like clubs and the dog understood all too well what that meant. He growled low in his throat as the first guard stepped forward to remove the empty plates.

Both prisoners waited submissively as the plates were removed. The guard pushed the plates behind him and swung his rifle in a threatening manner. One of the prisoners slid closer to the wall and lifted his free hand toward the open cuff swinging loosely from the wall. The second guard leaned his rifle against the wall out of reach of the prisoners and reached for the cuff. As he reached for the prisoner's wrist the second prisoner produced a knife and buried it deep in his midriff.

The other guard jumped back and twisted toward the armed prisoner. He raised his rifle to shoot the prisoner but a black shape lunged at him from the other room. With a fierce growl the shape clamped onto his arm, pulling him to the ground. He tried to pull free and another sharp pain penetrated his back. At first he thought it was another dog but when he rolled over he realized that it was a knife hilt that he had just driven deeper into his body. With a strangled cry he tried to roll away but the dog refused to let go. It tore at his arm even after he ceased to resist.

"Easy boy, easy." Hitch tried to calm the dog while Tully searched the dead guard's pocket for the handcuff keys."

"Got them." Tully freed his hand and turned to free Hitch. "That dog saved my life."

"He saved both of us." Hitch corrected. "That guy was going to kill both of us."

Tully nodded and handed Hitch the knife he had pulled from the guard. They each picked up a rifle and moved to the door. When they opened the door they were surprised at how strong the wind had become in just a few minutes. Even though it was still daylight the sand had reduced visibility to mere feet instead of yards. Taking their bearings by memory the two privates slipped out the door. Before closing the door Tully made sure that the dog got out. He didn't want the Germans to find the guard with the bite marks and shoot the dog. He encouraged the dog to stick close as they ran for the jeep.

As they neared the jeep the dog growled and veered away. Tully and Hitch slid to a stop and peered through the dust for the danger.

"Tully! Hitch!"

"Here Sarge." Hitch called back. The dog growled again as he stepped in front of the privates protectively.

Troy stepped out from behind the jeep and looked down at the dog. Ignoring its threatening stance he jerked his head toward the jeep. "Will this jeep run?"

"It will in a minute." Hitch answered as he threw his rifle on the seat and reached for some tools.

"We just needed to reconnect the battery." Tully explained as he reached down to comfort the dog.

"You'd better hurry." Moffitt suggested. "We're not going to be able to travel very fast in this storm and we're going to have company as soon as those guards are missed."

"Ready." Hitch called as he dropped the tools into the jeep. He dropped the hood and strapped it down.

"Okay." Troy called. "I'll lead us out of the village to where we parked the other jeep. Stay close behind me." Troy started to walk toward the hills around the village.

When they reached the other jeep Tully and Moffitt uncovered it and climbed in. "Moffitt thinks we should keep going for a little further. We'll find some shelter and cover the jeeps. We can take shelter under the tarp." Troy explained to Hitch as the other jeep led out.

Hitch nodded and followed close behind Tully. The four of them covered their faces with scarves and goggles as they fought the wind. Moffitt smiled his thanks when Tully handed him his ascot. The British sergeant led them deeper into the desert for several miles, which took them far longer than anyone expected. Troy thought that the storm was just getting worse until Moffitt noted the time.

"It's going to be dark soon and we won't be able to see at all." Moffitt called when Tully stopped for Hitch to catch up. "I suggest that we stop next to these rocks and cover the jeeps with our tarps." The Brit had to shout to be heard and even then Troy had to be downwind to hear him.

Troy nodded his agreement and the tarp covered jeeps became their haven from the storm. The four men huddled between the vehicles and listened to the whine of the wind.

"Sarge, I heard something." Hitch called after they had settled in.

"It's the wind." Moffitt shouted over the noise. "It makes strange sounds during a storm."

"I don't think so." Hitch shouted back. "I don't hear it now but I know I heard something. I think I should go take a look."

"Stay here." Troy ordered. "Nothing is going to be moving in this storm; and even if there is, nobody can find us in this weather."

Tully shifted next to Moffitt and leaned over to catch a loose corner of the tarp that was flapping. "Hey Sarge, I think you're wrong on both counts." He grinned as he leaned further and lifted the corner. To their surprise he pulled the black dog under the tarp and into their shelter. The dog squirmed out of his hands and cowered in one corner, its eyes fastened on Troy and Moffitt. "It's okay buddy, you're safe now." Tully coaxed the dog in a soft voice. "Come on over here. Come on." He patted the ground between him and Hitch. Little by little the dog inched its way between them. Both privates immediately began to pet it while murmuring soft words of encouragement.

"Maybe he's still hungry." Hitch suggested.

"There's some mystery meat in the back of the jeep." Troy volunteered. "I wrapped it in some oilcloth."

"Saving it for later?" Tully asked in surprise.

"Bait." Troy answered.

"Are you trying to draw jackals in Sarge?"

"Why would I want to draw jackals in?" Troy huffed.

"You couldn't catch the dog to tie the bundle to him without bait." Hitch guessed.

"You two were the ones feeding him." Troy growled in his own defense.

"I'm surprised that you managed to catch him even with food." Tully admitted. "He's awfully jumpy today."

"There may be a reason for that." Moffitt smiled and explained how they had caught the dog.

"I had to be sure that he didn't slip away." Troy explained. "It was the best way to get the weapons and note to you."

"How'd you know he'd come to us" Tully asked.

"I didn't." Troy admitted as he looked over at Moffitt. "I took a chance. He seemed to like you and I knew you were sharing your food with him. I figured that it was close to supper time, he'd go to you for food."

"Surprised the heck out of me when he showed up bearing gifts." Hitch smiled. He got to his knees and dug through the rear of the jeep until he found the meat that Troy had saved. Moving slowly he crawled back to Tully and offered the food to the dog.

Troy watched as the dog gobbled up the rest of the meat. With the food gone it settled in between the two privates and fell asleep.

With the storm still howling around them Troy ordered everyone to get some rest so that they could leave bright and early the next morning. They all fell asleep to the sound of the wind whipping sand against the tarp covered jeeps.

A low growl woke Troy. The wind had stopped and light was filtering in through the cracks around the tarp. None of the others had moved since the last time he had checked on them. Only the dog had stirred and he was growling low in his throat. Reaching over Troy gently nudged the others awake. Putting his fingers to his lips he motioned for them to stay quiet and wait. Twisting around Troy rolled to his stomach and wiggled under a jeep where he could peer out from under the tarp.

Tully stroked the dog gently with one hand while he held his rifle with the other. He prayed that they wouldn't need the guns until after they had had a chance to clean them. More than one soldier had died when his gun jammed because it was clogged with sand. They had taken the weapons under the tarp with them but Tully knew that was no guarantee that they would work properly. He tensed along with the others as they waited to see what had alerted the dog.


	6. Chapter 6

**A Friend in Need **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

Troy froze as voices carried to him over the stillness of the desert. With the storm over the sun was already heating the sands to the point of burning whatever it touched. The voices were coming from the other side of the jeeps so he carefully slid under the tarp's edge and got to his knees. Holding the rifle in front of him he inched his way around the front of the vehicles. Jumping to his feet he yelled at the three Arabs pointing rifles at the tarp covered jeeps. Too late he realized that there were three men and four camels. He had already revealed his presence when he spotted the fourth camel lying on the ground behind the three that were standing. He started to spin when he heard the hammer being pulled back on the rifle of the fourth Arab. Troy froze.

The three Arabs stepped away from the tarp covered jeeps and began to shout in their own language. Troy tried to wave them off, shouting to draw their attention.

"They know Troy." Moffitt called from underneath the tarp. "The Germans sent them to look for four men in two jeeps." Even as he spoke the other sergeant was pushing his way free of the tarp. He paused to hold it as the privates followed him out. "They know who we are." Moffitt continued.

Troy still held his machine gun aimed at the three Arabs. Hitch crawled out before Tully and stepped in front of him as Tully got to his knees. The Arab behind Troy saw the knife in Tully's hand and shouted a warning. Suddenly a black shape burst from beneath the tarp and tore off across the desert. The unexpected appearance startled the Arabs for just a moment. Tully took the opportunity to throw his knife. The single Arab dropped to his knees as his life blood spurted from the wound. Troy squeezed the trigger on his weapon and took out the remaining three Arabs.

"Darn!" Tully exclaimed. "That dog did it again. That's the second time he saved my life."

"He does have his uses." Troy remarked dryly.

"He jumped one of the guards back at the village and saved Tully from getting shot." Hitch explained. "Heck, he probably saved both of us then. And he sure turned the tables on these guys just now."

"We might not have gotten away if he hadn't been there." Tully added.

"We would have come for you if you hadn't come out." Troy replied.

"But you didn't have to because of the dog." Hitch argued.

"I said he was useful." Troy repeated. "Now we need to get moving before someone else comes looking for us. You can bet that the Germans have others out hunting us too. These guys probably aren't the only ones."

"We'll dig the jeeps out Sarge." Hitch answered quietly. He glanced at Tully and then in the direction that the dog had taken before he turned to reach for the shovel.

"Moffitt, take the watch." Troy ordered. "I'm going to clean the guns. We can't afford a jam with the Germans looking for us."

Moffitt nodded, picked up one of the machine guns, and checked it. Grabbing a cloth and some a gun oil he headed for a spot where he could keep watch while he cleaned the gun.

"That dog saved us again." Hitch mumbled under his breath as he shoveled the sand away from his jeep.

"What's that?" Tully asked as he stopped shoveling the sand from his jeep to look at the other private.

"I said, that dog saved us again." Hitch repeated in a louder voice. "He distracted the Arabs so that Sarge could get the drop on them."

"Yeah he did." Tully agreed. "It might not have been his intention but he did just the same. But that doesn't mean that Sarge will be willing to take him back with us."

"I know." Hitch answered sadly. "I guess we should finish digging these jeeps out. Maybe we can leave him some food and water. Sarge wouldn't say no to that would he? I hope he can find his way back to the village."

"He's been on his own for a long time." Tully reasoned. "He'll be okay."

"I hope so."

Tully smiled and went back to digging.

Hitch paused to look for the dog again. Wherever he had gone he hadn't returned yet. With a sigh Hitch leaned down to dig his shovel into the sand. "Maybe he's just hiding from Sarge."

Tully chuckled. "I bet he wasn't happy when Sarge and Doc threw that net over him. It's no wonder he didn't want anything to do with them while we were waiting out the storm."

"But he still came to us."

"He's a smart dog."

"Huh! If he was that smart he'd be trying to buddy up to Sarge."

"Look Hitch, Sarge has enough on his plate just keeping us all safe. Maybe he doesn't want any more responsibilities."

"We'd take care of him."

"We're not around enough to take care of him properly." Tully argued.

"I know that too." Hitch answered. "But we could look for someone to take care of him. There has to be someone on the base who would like a smart dog."

"We've been through this Hitch. The final say is up to Sarge and we can't take him if Sarge says no."

Hitch just nodded and went back to digging out the jeep. When the vehicles were finally clear both drivers went over their own jeep to make sure that the sand wouldn't affect their performance. Satisfied that they were okay, Hitch went to report to Troy.

"Everything's ready Sarge."

Troy looked up from the 50 he was reassembling and nodded. "How about heating up some of the rations before we go?"

Thinking about the dog, Hitch nodded agreeably. "Okay. I got it." He hurried off to dig out the rations he thought the dog might like. While the meals were heating he kept an eye out for a black shape in the surrounding hills. They ate their meals in silence. Troy made it clear that he wanted to be moving. While Hitch and Tully ate and cleaned up he took a plate to Moffitt. The two privates were sitting in the jeeps waiting when Troy returned with the empty plates.

"Sarge.." Hitch began when Troy handed him the plates.

"Not now Hitch." Troy cut him off. "Load up we're moving out. Motioning for Moffitt to join them Troy crawled into his jeep.

Hitch looked at Tully who shrugged and headed for his jeep. Dropping his head Hitch moved to take his place behind the wheel.

"Moffitt's going to drive." Troy stopped Hitch before he could slide into his seat. "You ride with Tully."

Hitch looked at the sergeant in surprise and confusion. "What if we run into trouble?"

"You can handle the 50." Troy shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Besides, Moffitt thinks we can make it home without running into any more Germans."

"Okay." Hitch nodded slowly. "But why change drivers?"

"That dog is hiding over there on that little hill." Troy pointed to a nearby dune. "It doesn't trust Moffitt and me, with good reason. If we're going to take it back and find it a good home I think it will be easier to catch if it's just you and Tully here. Moffitt and I will go ahead a bit and wait for you. Don't be too long."

Moffitt smiled as he pushed past an astonished Hitch. Dropping his machine gun into the holder on the fender of the jeep he slid into the driver's seat. "You shouldn't have too much trouble coaxing him in with the food you saved for him. I do suggest that you put a rope on him though, you don't know how he'll react to riding in a moving vehicle." With another smile Moffitt started the jeep and drove away.

Hitch stood watching them go with his mouth hanging open. Finally he shook his head and looked over at Tully.

Tully smiled and shrugged. "You heard Sarge and Doc, let's catch that dog and get moving."


End file.
